A Korean Canadian pastor has lost contact with the Canadian government after visiting North Korea for humanitarian work, reports Reuters.

Reverend Hyeon-soo Lim, 60, has traveled to North Korea more than 100 times since 1997 to help oversee a nursing home, a nursery and an orphanage in the Rajin region, said Lisa Pak, the spokeswoman for the Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto.

Lim entered North Korea through China on Jan. 31, and has since lost contact with his church, family and friends. The pastor was expected return from his trip on Feb. 4, but church officials were not alarmed, believing that Lim was delayed by North Korea’s quarantine of foreign travelers who may have been exposed to Ebola.

“We didn’t want to cause unnecessary hysteria, just make sure he is OK. He’s very non-political; he just wants to help the people,” said Pak, according to Reuters.

North Korea ended the quarantine program on Monday, but there has been no sign of Lim. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has advised against all travel to North Korea.

The North Korean government has a strict policy against proselytizing, as religion is seen as a threat to the ruling Kim family. Over the years, many Christian missionaries have been detained in the hermit kingdom.

Kenneth Bae, a missionary who entered North Korea in late 2012, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for alleged anti-government activities. After being detained for two years, Bae was released last November, along with fellow U.S. detainee Matthew Miller, who was formerly sentenced to prison for six years for alleged espionage.

Born in South Korea, Lim immigrated to Canada in 1986. He has a wife and an adult son.

Nicholas Choung Lee died in a severe car crash on March 7, 2014, when RobertoÂ Maldonado lost control of hisÂ truck as it traveled downhill while hauling a dumpster and a Bobcat. The truck slammed into Lee’s patrol car, killing the 16-year veteran and severely injuring his partner, only identified by her first name Stephanie.

A year-long investigation by the California Highway Patrol further revealed that Maldonado, who was also hospitalized following the crash, had failed to properly maintain the brakes and inspect the truck according to regulations. He was arrested on Friday on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.

Maldonado, 46, faces one count of gross vehicular manslaughter and faces up to six years in prison if convicted. The L.A. Times reports that his arraignment will take place on March 20.

Lee was remembered by his friends and colleagues as a man of selflessness and courage. He was plugged into the local Korean American community as wellâmany remembered Lee from playing basketball with him and meeting him through local organizations. Lee is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Hey L.A. voters, today is Primary Election day, with open races for City Council and two proposed charter amendments, among other seats.

As weâve been following, the two Korean American candidates vying for separate L.A. City Council seats have been actively campaigning for votes, right up until Election Day.

During a press conference with the Korean media, David Ryu, a community health executive who is running for the 4th District seat, encouraged those gathered to tell their friends and family to vote, as only 600 Korean Americans have cast a vote by mail-in ballot as of last Wednesday.

According to Ryu, at least 3,000 Korean Americans must cast votes to achieve a 50 percent voter turnout rate among the Korean American electorate in Los Angeles County.

âIâm running to change the conversation at City Hall, but that doesnât start until I listen to â¦ the actual community, voters, and my neighbors,â Ryu told KoreAm.

Meanwhile, Grace Yoo, a longtime Koreatown activist and former executive director of the Korean American Coalition, is vying for the District 10 seat thatâs currently occupied by City Council President Herb Wesson.

Last week, a federal judge rejected a redistricting lawsuit Yoo helped spearhead in 2012. About the ruling, Yoo said, âThis is not game over. This is still middle of the game. Itâs a little too early to claim victory.â Yoo said there was going to be an appeal and told KoreAm, âWeâre barely in the first three years, and I believe itâll take another two-and-a-half years for it to come to an end.â

Yoo and Ryu have opposing views when it comes to Charter Amendments 1 and 2, which would change primary and general election dates from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years to match state and federal elections to help increase voter turnout.

Ryu supports the amendments while Yoo does not.

While Ryu believes that combining city elections with June and November elections will increase voter turnout and save money, he does not support extending the councilmembersâ terms by 18 months, which would allow them to draw an additional $300,000 in salary. He also expressed concerns with the diminishing of the city clerk election division.

Yoo said she does not believe Charter Amendments 1 and 2 would increase greater civic participation on the local level, and that it was about businesses continuing their special interests to the elected. She said that there is no actual dollar amount associated with the amendments and that it wasnât a âsmart move.â

Polling stations across L.A. County opened at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. today. Those who have Vote by Mail ballots must deliver their ballots at a polling location. Poll locations can be found at www.lavote.net or by calling (800) 815-2666 and pressing option â1.â

Bridget Rhee is a New York City-based multidisciplinary visual artist, burlesque performer and art curator. She creates molded plastic sculptures, playful cartoon-drawing T-shirt designs and wildly colorful costumed photography. Using her body as a self-portrait template, the 26-year-old Rhee has combined 3D design, graphics, drawing, photography, costuming and dance to create colorful, poppy images exhibited at such places as The Art Directors Club of New York, the Roy Venters gallery in Honolulu and the Hilton Las Vegas. Rheeâs 3D designs have been published in the New York Daily News, New York Times and the art book Monumental, while her drawings have been featured in AllState insurance and Comcast videos.

From an incandescent Frida Kahlo to a playful fortune cookie act, Rheeâs burlesque performances at the Slipper Room, This âNâ That, Nurse Bettie and The McKittrick Hotel, all of which are in New York City, mirror themes in her pop art and establish Rhee as a modern-day artistic emblem.

Rhee, who also regularly curates pop art shows at TT-Underground Gallery in the East Village, discussed her creative life, work inspirations and Korean heritage with iamKoreAm.com from a pink neo-Victorian sofa in her quirky East Village apartment, with brief interruptions by her meowing Maine Coon Spock. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get your start in drawing?

I drew a lot growing up. Iâm an only child so I was very much the source of my own entertainment. My parents told me I would mess up so many couches and walls by drawing [on them]. My high school did not have an art program, so a lot of art I did [on my own]. My parents sent me to weekend classes to try and nurture my interests. I actually went to [New York Cityâs] School of Visual Arts (SVA) originally for photography, but once I got to New York, I switched out of photography my first year because I realized how much I really liked design. I graduated from SVA with a degree in graphic design and 3D design.

Can you explain what 3D design is?

When people hear â3D design,â they automatically think I do computer work or computer-generated imagery (CGI), but no, 3D design means, in the most traditional sense, that I build stuff. I spent most of my college years in a woodshop, building things by hand. Itâs a lot of fun to just go through that process. Iâve learned to rewire electrical things, or fix a broken doorâstuff that I probably would not otherwise know how to do myself.

How does burlesque fit into your interest in drawing, 3D design and curation?

Burlesque is a creative outlet. Itâs like a canvas, where all the skills I learn from drawing and 3D, I can incorporate into my acts.

How did you get into burlesque?

I had a roommate at the time, and his boyfriend was a drag queen. Every now and then, he would take me to these shows and there would be burlesque in them. I loved how funny everything was, and sexy and just super creative. Those are three things I loveâfun, sex and creativity. I especially loved how empowered those women looked, and I wanted to do that. I had these ideas [for acts]: Marilyn Monroe, Frida Kahloâ¦

What kinds of gallery shows have you curated?

Iâm into group shows, and seeing other peopleâs work. I did a t-shirt graphic show. The only theme was black and white, a single graphic on a white shirt, so everyone had to follow that. To see that, the gallery in black and white, itâs so simple and basic, but everyoneâs vision and style is completely different.

You have a great sense for kitsch, pop art and graphic art. Itâs interesting and likeable in a way that sometimes the New York art world is not. Whatâs your inspiration for such fun art?

I like being happy. (Laughs).

Was it difficult having such an artistic temperament growing up in the Korean community?

I was a really bad student and [my parents] realized that art was the only thing I was good at, so they let me go to art school. Iâm second-generation Korean American. My parents arenât very traditionalâtheyâre way more free-spirited than these other stories I hear from Korean friends whose parents make them go to medical school and what not.

It sounds like they were supportive.

I think part of the reason my parents were so supportive was because of their own life experiences. My dad, even though he was born in Korea, spent his childhood growing up in Vietnam because of the [Korean] war. My grandfather was a war general at the time, and my dad was a kid growing up and saw all of this stuff that kids â well, human beings â should not see, and I think that affected him a lot in terms of how he wanted to raise his own child. When I came along, he wanted me to have a childhood and be happy, because he didnât have that growing up.

My mom works for hospice so she works with people on their deathbeds, reflecting on their lives, talking about what they regret, what they wish they did, what they wish they didnât do. The most common thing is that they wish they did what made them happy and that their families were accepting of their choices. I think that affected my momâs mentality raising me. I probably had an easier time in terms of not having the âtraditionalâ Korean American upbringing.

Being an artist in New York canât be easy. What inspirations keep you going when you want to quit?

The people who actually accomplish things, the one thing they have in common, they just did it. Itâs so easy to stop. Everything is a calculated risk, but when you start doubting yourself because you start to see competition, itâs like standing on top of a really high point and looking down â you get dizzy. No one on their deathbed ever wishes they spent more time in the office! I donât want to be that person thinking, âWow, I spent my life holding back on a lot of things because I was scared of something I made up in my own head.â

On that note, what are some future projects youâd like to do?

Definitely more burlesque. One of my goals within the next year or so is to build a giant martini glass. Itâs so crazy expensive to rent one, and I want to own one, and I have the skills to build one. I really want to do a shrimp cocktail act. And with art, Iâd like to do something with textiles. I donât know what, but I want to try something I havenât done before.

When her Republican husbandÂ edged out his Democratic opponent lastÂ November by five percentage points inÂ the closely watched Maryland gubernatorialÂ race, Yumi Hogan was elated andÂ admittedly in a state of disbelief.

âStill, I canât believe [it],â she saidÂ of spouse Larry Hoganâs surprise victory,Â which placed a Republican intoÂ the Maryland governorâs office for theÂ first time since 2006. And as the firstÂ Asian American first lady of Maryland,Â the Korean immigrant also recognizesÂ her own momentous place in history asÂ a result of her husbandâs win.

âNot only first Asian, [I am the]Â first Korean first lady in the wholeÂ United States, in the 100 years ofÂ [Korean immigration to this country],âÂ Yumi Hogan proudly stated, speakingÂ with KoreAm by phone in early January.Â âIâm very proud of the whole AsianÂ community. They are really lookingÂ forward to how Iâm going to help them.â

TheÂ Hogans and their daughters at the inaugural ball at the Baltimore Convention Center. (Photo by Steve Ruark/AP Photo)

For starters, Yumi Hogan appearsÂ poised and ready to embrace the role ofÂ playing a Korean cultural ambassadorÂ of sorts, as she and her husband settleÂ into their new home, the governorâsÂ mansion in Annapolis. Toward thatÂ end, the 55-year-old landscape artist,Â who is an adjunct professor at theÂ Maryland Institute College of Art,Â mentioned that she plans to bring to theÂ historic Georgian-style mansion, homeÂ to Marylandâs governors for the lastÂ 125 years, a quintessential KoreanÂ item: a kimchi refrigerator.

âWeâre going to ferment kimchi,âÂ said Hogan, noting how she plans toÂ teach the kitchen staff how to prepareÂ Korean cuisine.

A Lunar New Year celebration atÂ the governorâs residence in late FebruaryÂ was to give Marylandâs first familyÂ a chance to introduce Korean dishes likeÂ japchae and bulgogi to the invited 200Â guests. âIâm going to cook and showÂ how good Korean food is,â said Hogan.

The 11-year-old marriage betweenÂ Larry and Yumi Hogan was a notableÂ footnote to the main election tale of lastÂ year, which, by most accounts, was aÂ big political upset in a heavily blue state.Â Hogan, known for her winsome smile,Â friendly demeanor and bold jewel-tonedÂ attire, certainly proved an asset to herÂ husband, who proudly told AsianÂ groups that his wife is a first-generationÂ Korean American immigrant.

As the Republican candidate hitÂ the campaign trail last year on his questÂ to succeed Martin OâMalley, the formerÂ two-term Democratic governor whoÂ was ineligible to run for a consecutiveÂ third, Yumi canvassed the state to addressÂ mostly Korean and ChineseÂ groups. âIâm not a politician, but I haveÂ to help my husband,â she said of theÂ experience. âWith my husbandâs busÂ tour, we were like a parade. PeopleÂ were welcoming.â

Though a political novice, HoganÂ managed to drum up support and enthusiasmÂ for her husband amongÂ Marylandâs Asian communities, whichÂ are proving to be a more active and influentialÂ voter bloc in a state of roughlyÂ 6 million residents that is 6 percentÂ Asian American.

âAsian Americans in Maryland,Â particularly in Montgomery County,Â are really an important and growingÂ demographic,â Sam Yoon, presidentÂ and executive director of the Washington,Â D.C.-based Council of KoreanÂ Americans, told KoreAm. âFor theÂ governor, when he thinks about appointingÂ political leaders, to think aboutÂ Asian Americans, is a real opportunity,Â and I think his perspective is definitelyÂ going to be different for having aÂ spouse who is Asian American.â

Already, Gov. Hogan has appointedÂ businessman Jimmy Rhee to his cabinetÂ as special secretary of minority affairs,Â in another first for a Korean American.

Although Rhee did not previouslyÂ know the Hogans on a personal level,Â he said of the first lady, âI have foundÂ her to be very focused. She feels thatÂ diversity is a tremendous asset we haveÂ in Maryland.â

In addition to her role as KoreanÂ cultural ambassador, Hogan told KoreAmÂ that among her goals as first ladyÂ are fundraising on behalf of the localÂ arts community, providing support toÂ military families and working with organizationsÂ that assist single mothers.Â The latter is a cause close to her heart.

Born in Naju and raised in Seoul,Â the youngest child of eight immigratedÂ to the U.S. after finishing high schoolÂ in Korea. She lived in California, TexasÂ and Hawaii before settling in MarylandâsÂ Howard County because of its qualityÂ public schools for her three daughtersÂ from a previous marriage. The divorcedÂ mother, a devout Christian who is aÂ deaconess at her Presbyterian church inÂ Maryland, pushed her daughters to getÂ straight Aâs and to attend church, all theÂ while raising them single-handedlyÂ during their formative years.

Hogan met Larry, a former realÂ estate broker who founded the anti-taxÂ hike grassroots organization ChangeÂ Maryland prior to his candidacy forÂ governor, at an art show in Maryland inÂ 2001. As the governor recently told theÂ Washington Post, âI was more interested in the artist than the art.â In 2004,Â when he was serving as a cabinet secretaryÂ in the then-Maryland Gov. RobertÂ Ehrlich, Jr. administration, the coupleÂ wed, incorporating a traditional KoreanÂ ceremony into the celebration. It is herÂ second marriage and his first.

It was only after she married LarryÂ in 2004, and with his encouragement,Â that Hogan decided to return to schoolÂ to pursue her passionâartâeventuallyÂ graduating, with honors, from theÂ Maryland Institute College of Art inÂ 2008 and earning her Master of FineÂ Arts from American University inÂ Washington, D.C., in 2010.

âI donât think she ever lived lifeÂ for herself; she lived for us,â JaymiÂ Sterling, Hoganâs middle daughterÂ who is a Maryland state prosecutor,Â told KoreAm. âHe basically told her,Â âItâs OK to live your life, itâs yourÂ turn to live your life now. Itâs OK toÂ live your dreams, the kids are goingÂ to be fine.â He supported her in allÂ those endeavors.â

The governor stands almost a headÂ taller than his wife. In official photographs,Â she wears tailored garments inÂ shades of royal blue or crimson red, herÂ wavy shoulder-length hair worn looseÂ or half-pinned, accessorized by smallÂ drop earrings.

âTheyâre comfortable in their ownÂ skin. Theyâre very respectful of eachÂ other,â Sterling said of her parents. âYou can tell they really love each other.â

Larry also immediately embracedÂ Sterling and her siblings, Kim VelezÂ and Julie Kim, and they, him. TheyÂ refer to him as their father, while heÂ calls them his daughters.

Sterling even appeared in a 30-second TV spot last September for theÂ campaign, defending her dad againstÂ Democratic opponent Anthony BrownâsÂ claims that Larry was âanti-womanâ forÂ his policy positions on abortion andÂ contraception early in his political career.Â As Sterling narrated that her dadÂ favors over-the-counter birth controlÂ covered by insurance and is committedÂ to not changing Marylandâs law on aÂ womanâs right to choose, the ad flashedÂ two family photos showing the HogansÂ togetherâLarry, Yumi and their threeÂ adult daughters.

In his inauguration speech outsideÂ the Maryland State House on a snowyÂ January 21, one of the first things Gov.Â Hogan did was thank his family.

âTo my wife, Yumi, my daughtersÂ and my entire family, please know thatÂ it is because of your incredible loveÂ and support that I am able to standÂ here today,â he said, during a ceremonyÂ that included a performance of theÂ âStar-Spangled Bannerâ sung by theÂ Korean American bass baritoneÂ Kwang-kyu Lee.

Later that evening, Hogan, herÂ three daughters and 2-year-old granddaughter,Â Daniella Velez, who is ofÂ Korean and Hispanic descent, took theÂ stage beside the newly minted governorÂ at the inaugural ball at the BaltimoreÂ Convention Center. As they smiled outÂ into the crowd of onlookers, the multiracialÂ first family made for a strikingÂ image, seemingly ushering in a new eraÂ for an increasingly diverse state.

___

This article was published in the February/March 2015 issue of KoreAm. Subscribe today! To purchase a single issue copy of the February/March issue, click the âBuy Nowâ button below.Â Â (U.S. customers only. Expect delivery in 5-7 business days).

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Samsung had a rough year in 2014. The Galaxy S5 smartphone garnered mediocre reviews, and the companyÂ lost a huge chunk of their market share to up-and-coming Chinese smartphone makers and, of course, their nemesis in Apple. These all contributed to Samsung’s first annual profit decline in 2011.

For a company that has always marketed its products as the “next big thing,” the new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are going to have to come up bigânow. Samsung debuted its new flagship models yesterday before the Mobile World Congress began this week. A first glance seems to immediately indicate that, at the very least, things will look a lot different.

Samsung went all-plastic and metal for this iteration, and there are no visible screws or seams anywhere. Both feature a 5.1-inch 1440p Quad HD Super AMOLED display, which, based on Samsung’s track record, should look amazing. The S6 Edge in particular, with its curved edges on both sides (compared to just one on the Note Edge) that give the phone hardly any side bezel.

But with this new “premium” look and feel, Samsung did trade away some functionalityâand this may be a deal breaker for a number of people. With the all-glass and metal body, there’s no slot for a microSD card and no removable battery. The S6 also is not water-resistant, compared to its predecessor. The glass back of the phone could potentially mean less durability, as Apple found out with its iPhone 4 and 4s designs.

Under the hood, the phones are quite similar. Both have Exynos 7420 chips, after Samsung stepped away from using Snapdragon chips as they had done in previous Galaxy S smartphones. Both phones feature 64-bit Android Lollipop with a toned-down TouchWiz on top of 3 GB of RAM. Android PoliceÂ describes the Exynos chip as “very, very fast,” compared to the numbers from the LG G3, Nexus 6, LG G Flex 2 and the new HTC One M9.

As for the batteries, they are actually smaller than the one in the S5. The S6 and Edge, however, come with wireless charging capabilities. Samsung also got rid of their problematic swipe fingerprint scanner on the S5, electing to follow Apple’s lead and switching to a one-touch fingerprint scanner. Samsung mobile payments is also coming in the second half of this year, too.

The camera includes the same Sony sensor in the Note 4, which has a spectacular camera to begin with. Samsung tinkered a little bit, adding Optical Image Stabilization to the main camera, which will shoot at 16 megapixels. The front-facing camera has also been bumped up to 5 megapixels.

The Black Sapphire Samsung Galaxy S6. Image via Samsung Mobile Press

Samsung hasn’t revealed the price of either device, but there are three models for each smartphone, based on storage capacity: 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. Expect the Edge to cost a bit more than the S6. Both models will have Pearl White, Black Sapphire and Gold Platinum colors, but the Blue Topaz will only be available for the S6, and the Emerald Green limited to the Edge.

At Samsung’s press conference on Sunday, Younghee Lee, a marketing executive for the mobile division, commented that the aluminum alloy used in the S6 and S6 Edge is “50 percent stronger” than competition and would not bend, to laughter and applause. Samsung has never been afraid to take shots at Appleâ”Next Big Thing Is Already Here” ads come to mind. But all jokes aside, Samsung is now the one playing catch-up on the mobile front, and there’s never been a more pressing year for them to back up their talk.

South Koreans on Sunday celebrated the 96th anniversary of the March First Movement, also known as the Sam-il Movement, a series of demonstrations for Korean national independence from Japanese colonial rule.

Origin

The signing of the Korean Declaration of Independence (Image via LoveKorea)

In 1910, the Korean peninsula was officially annexed by the Japanese Empire, marking the end of the Joseon Dynasty. Under Japanese rule, Koreans were required to speak Japanese and adopt Japanese names. As a result, Korean culture and traditions began to diminish.

About a month after the sudden death of former Korean Emperor Kojong on Jan 21, 1919, a group of Korean students studying in Tokyo published a statement demanding Korea’s independence, which was inspired by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” speech at the Paris Peace Conference. Many Koreans believed that Kojong was poisoned as there had been previous assassination attempts, such as the “coffee plot.”

On March 1, 1919 at 2 p.m., 33 leaders of the independence movement convened at the Taehwagan Restaurant in Seoul and read the Korean Declaration of Independence,Â launching a series of nonviolent protests across the country.

The leaders initially wanted to meet at Tapgol Park, also known as Pagoda Park, but chose to meet at a more private location in order to prevent a riot.Â However, massive crowds appeared at the park to hear a student named Chung Jae-yong read the declaration and held a peaceful procession.Â Caught off guard, the Japanese authorities could not control the growing crowd and were forced to call military forces to quell the protest on March 1.

As the public protests continued to grow, the Japanese government’s response became increasingly more violent, resulting in massacres and mass imprisonment.Â One notable incident was the Jeam-ri Massacre.Â On April 15, 1919, the Japanese police drove at least 29 village residents of Jeam-ri into a church and set the building on fire after barring the doors. There were no survivors.

Approximately 2,000,000 Korean protesters, many of whom were civilians, had participated in more than 1,500 nonviolent protests before the Japanese brutally suppressed the movement. According to the bookÂ Bloody History of the Korean Independence MovementÂ by Park Eunsik, aboutÂ 7,509 people killed, 15,849 wounded and 46,303 arrested by the Japanese during the independence movement.Â Many of the arrested protesters were sent to Seodaemun Prison, where they were tortured and faced death without trial or due process.

Although the March First Movement failed to achieve the immediate independence of Korea, it promoted change. After the campaign, the Japanese colonial government briefly allowed Koreans to write and distribute Korean literature under the “cultural policy.” However these lenient policies were later reversed during World War II.

Since 1949, March 1 has been celebrated as a national holiday that commemorates the courage and sacrifices of those who died and suffered for the independence movement. Today many Koreans celebrate this holiday by distributing South Korean flags and participating in re-enactments of the nonviolent processions while shouting “manse,” which translates to “hooray” in English.

A bull held up traffic on the Gyeongbu Expressway last week after it got loose when the truck carrying itâalong with two other bullsâtipped over. Reportedly, the freed bull hoofed it along for 3 km and nearly 40 minutes before it was captured.

You can see the YTN News report below, which includes a shot of the upended trailer.

Thankfully, neither the bull nor any other motorists were harmed, although the traffic jam probably didn’t help any moo-ds (sorry). We do have to question the choices this driver and passenger made in following the bull maybe 1.5 car lengths behind itâjust for the sake of a good shot on their smartphone.

Seriously, there’s a reason why people hate tail-gating motorists. Think of how mad the male cow must have beenÂ (OK I’m done).